Hospital patients generally have identification wrist bands which generally contain their names and patient number. In order to find conditions affecting the patient, the doctor or nurse must consult a chart, which is generally mounted on the foot of a hospital bed. This could cause a certain time delay, which may be critical in an emergency.
The charts are also a source of mistakes, for instance; the charts may be misplaced, or placed on the wrong bed. Also, the patient may be asleep, unconscious, unable to communicate, or temporarily out of the room
The careless use of charts can give rise to mistakes, such as providing the wrong medication or treatment.